Here is our regular look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points more than German strikers like to score goals….

• Maybe the best thing I’ve read about the “trade rumor era” in the NBA. If you read one thing today it should be Bryan Curtis’ piece at Grantland.

• Andre Drummond wants Greg Monroe back with the Pistons. More importantly, so does Stan Van Gundy. That said nobody has made him a max offer yet, but that’s part of the dam that could break after the LeBron/Carmelo bottleneck shakes loose.

• In case you missed it, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had dinner at LAVO restaurant in the Palazzo in Las Vegas Monday. What you think that means says more about what you want to happen than what they actually talked about, because we don’t know. Here is what I do know: If you’re going to it Italian at the Palazzo B&B is the better option.

• Also in case you missed it, Pau Gasol met with OKC coach Scott Brooks on Monday. The Thunder have made a big push for him with both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook making personal pitches. But Gasol has a lot of options and there are questions if the urbane Gasol wants to move to Oklahoma City.

• Spencer Hawes is going to be so much fun on the Clippers.

Hey @blakegriffin32 you know 32 is my number you wanna arm wrestle for it or something?

• Among the players waiting on LeBron James to make a decision? Garrett Temple. He was reportedly going to get an offer from Miami but he doesn’t want to go to Miami if LeBron is not there, so he is being patient. The Wizards also are in the mix.

With one former Bruin out the Clippers are turning to another former Bruin and Los Angeles standout to take over the role behind Chris Paul — Jordan Farmar. Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times broke this.

The Clippers and free-agent guard Jordan Farmar agree to deal, sources, likely for biannual of 2 years, $4.2 million

Farmar played in 41 games for the Lakers last season, averaging 10.1 points and 4.9 assists a game, looking fairly comfortable in Mike D’Antoni’s offense, and shooting 43.8 percent from three. At least when healthy, he battled through a torn left hamstring and a strained right groin (both injuries healed). Farmar has always preferred a more uptempo game but can be a solid game manager, and he should have plenty of fire power around him on the Clippers bench (whether or not they trade Jamal Crawford).

Farmar is a bit of a step down from Collison but not a huge one, and so long as Chris Paul stays healthy it shouldn’t matter much. If not… the Clippers could be shopping again.

the Lakers are hoping to retain all role players on one-year contracts on relatively inexpensive deals to maximize financial flexibility for high caliber players, such as LeBron James in 2014, Kevin Love in 2015 or Kevin Durant in 2016.

If the Lakers want to maximize their chances of acquiring another star after this offseason, they shouldn’t re-sign players to one-year contracts.

Anyone the Lakers re-sign to a one-year contract, because he’d have bird rights or early bird rights after the deal, could veto any trade next season.

Once the contract expires in 2015, the Lakers would have plenty of flexibility. But if a star becomes available in a trade sooner – looking at you Kevin Love – the Lakers would be at a severe disadvantage. You think Xavier Henry and the others would approve a trade that sends them from Los Angeles to Minnesota? No way.

An easy workaround would be signing those players to two-year contracts with the second year unguaranteed, but they might not go for such restrictive deals. The veto power applies only to players on one-year deals.

It also applies only to players re-signing. Unless they can convince their current role players to accept additional unguaranteed years on their next contracts, the Lakers might be best off signing new players to one-year deals.

If the Lakers want to extend their rebuild into 2014-15, they’ve backed themselves into a corner with a limited ability to re-sign the players they’ve already invested time in while simultaneously keeping flexibility.

Here is our regular look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points.

• I don’t know anyone, of any race, who when talking about Warriors management deciding to fire Mark Jackson thought this was racially based. That said, to suggest race, backgrounds and different perspectives based on different upbringings where race is an influence didn’t play a role would be naive. Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News did a thoughtful, must-read peace on this. These are just a couple of paragraphs that do not do the entire post justice, go read.

I believe race can be a factor without malice being part of it. The reality is sports is a place where race, culture, class, religion and every other dividing line collide. It is naive to think issue won’t arise out of that. I know people like to view sports as an escape from real life. But your favorite escape is fashioned by real life, and it’s importance to our society has made it real life. So these things can’t be avoided….

Good leaders, managers, are versatile in their approach. Lacob’s emotional, involved style in some ways disregards the dynamic he created when he hired Jackson. The fact is he did hire a black coach. And it makes zero sense to act like he just hired a coach. The opposite of racism isn’t not seeing race, it is embracing race. A minor amount of awareness would suggest a black coach is going to take having an owner mean-mugging on the sidelines a little differently.

I grew up a few hours to the west of Warabe, in the city of Zaria. As an adult, I have lived throughout the world – attending college in the United States, playing professional basketball in Europe. Eventually, I found my way to Toronto. I have a good life in a wonderful, cosmopolitan city, but I am everywhere a son of Africa.

My wife is also African. Our daughter was born here. Given a different set of circumstances and less luck, she might have been born elsewhere, perhaps even some place where children are abducted. A place where little girls are taken because someone did not want them to learn.

• On a vaguely related note (one not sports related) that I’ve wanted to slip in for a while, I recently finished reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel “Americanah” (about a Nigerian woman who comes to America and eventually returns to her homeland) and have to say it’s been my favorite read of the last few years. If you like good literature and a thoughtful perspective on race, pick it up.

You probably didn’t see this Monday night because if you suffered through the Lakers/Jazz game you should have gotten combat pay.

However there was one highlight of note — Jordan Farmar dropped Trey Burke with a crossover. And did it in the backcourt.

That is the guy third on my Rookie of the Year ballot, and likely not below fourth on anybody’s list. Remember a year ago we were talking about what a weak draft class it was? This rookie class is the result.